


I Can't Be Where You Are

by blackjacktheboss



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 05:51:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackjacktheboss/pseuds/blackjacktheboss





	I Can't Be Where You Are

> _And I wish that I could tell you  
>  That we’ll be all right  
> But I can’t be where you are tonight_

Annabeth stood with her eyes closed on the roof of the only building that would ever bear her name and all she could think about was him. The last time they were together, he had laid with his head on her stomach, humming as she read and softly stroked his hair. How she longed for that warmth now. 

Her memory was interrupted by the sound of beating wings, and she opened her eyes to the sight of Blackjack landing softly, hoofs clopping against the concrete. Percy slid off of his back effortlessly and rushed forward, searching the rooftop for someone who wasn’t entirely there. 

“Annabeth! Annabeth are you here?” he shouted. His eyes were red and puffy, and his voice was hoarse with a desperation Annabeth didn’t recognize. He still wore his black suit that he had worn to her funeral that morning, with his tie hanging loose around his neck, and Annabeth couldn’t help but think how handsome he looked, even now. 

She rushed forward, wanting nothing more than to take him in her arms; to feel his warmth against her; to run her hands through his hair until she could feel his breathing return to normal; to convince him that everything was okay; to show him that _she_ was okay. But when she reached for him, her hand passed right through him. 

His shoulders dropped as the silence settled in. He gripped the steel handrail until is knuckles were white, leaning his forehead against it and exhaling at the coldness of it. “Rachel said she had a vision of you being here. That if I… If I came here I might see you.” 

“Percy, I’m right here,” she whispered. 

He stood, eyes fixated on the city below him. Blackjack neighed nervously, slamming one of his hooves against the floor in what seemed to be a warning gesture. 

“I’m not gonna jump, Blackjack.” Percy’s tone was playful in a way it hadn’t been for days, and that realization put a smile on Annabeth’s face. 

He slowly loosened his grip on the railing and began drumming on it with his fingers, eyes still focused on the movement of the city. 

“I’m sorry you only got one building, Annabeth. You deserved a whole city of permanent things.” 

Tears filled her eyes as she gripped Percy’s left arm in her hands and placed a kiss to his shoulder. “I didn’t need a whole city. I got you. You have always been my something permanent.” 

Percy stilled and looked to his left. “You’re here,” he said with an exhale, his whole body shuddering against the railing. 

“Yeah, I’m here!” Annabeth said excitedly. Hope overcame her as all the things she wished she had gotten to tell Percy raced through her head.

“He can’t hear you anymore,” a voice boomed. Annabeth turned around to see Lord Hades himself standing before her. “He heard you say ‘something permanent’ and that was it.” 

“How do you know that?” 

“Because I allowed it. I shouldn’t have, but I did… Don’t tell Persephone.” 

“Lord Hades, I-” 

“Your mother sent me, Annabeth. She insists on only the best for her favorite daughter and even I can’t say no to Athena. So I’m here to escort you to the Underworld myself.”

Annabeth was shaking as she ran her hand alongside Percy’s face, which was still staring in her direction, eyes full of hope. “It all happened so fast I- I didn’t get to say goodbye.” 

“I know. And I’m truly sorry for that, which is why I broke my own rule to let him hear your voice again. But this is just part of a hero’s fate. The one you always knew was a possibility.” 

She took a deep breath and straightened her back, trying her best to look tough, “They weren’t supposed to cut my string this quick. Not after everything we survived. I can’t leave him.”

“I’m afraid you already have.” Hades held out his hand to Annabeth, the paleness of his skin almost shining against the darkness of the night. He was cool to the touch and Annabeth felt solid for the first time in days. 

“Before we go, I just need to let him know I’m okay. Please.” 

Her eyes were the softest they had ever been, their usual hardness replaced with sorrow. It was a look that Hades knew well, and one that, no matter how many times he saw it, still tugged at his immortal heart. 

“Persephone is never gonna let me live this down, just so you know.” He sighed, “What do you need me to do?” 

* * *

A sudden chill entered the air and Percy felt a shiver run down his spine. As soon as the chill passed, he knew something was different. He ran his hands through his hair, tugging loosely at the ends wanting to feel something, anything, other than the hollowness in his chest. 

Percy leaned against the railing again, tears filling his eyes until the lights shining below him were just blurs. “She can’t be gone. She can’t be. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I couldn’t tell her-” 

_Boss_  

“Blackjack, I told you I’m not gonna jump, alright? So just-” 

_Boss, just look up_

“What’s so impor-” 

As Percy looked out at the city, his eyes landed on the Empire State Building, which was lit up blue for the first time since the Battle of Manhattan. Percy took a deep breath as Blackjack rested his head on Percy’s shoulder in a show of support. 

_What’s it mean, Boss?_  

“It means she’s okay.” 


End file.
